FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Two University of Pittsburgh tennis players, rising sophomore Audrey Ann Blakely and incoming freshman Callie Frey, competed in the ITA Summer Circuit tournament held at the University of Mary Washington on June 28-30.

Sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the ITA Summer Circuit events are intended to promote friendly competition and allow collegiate players the opportunity to maintain their game over the summer months. There were 121 participants in the three-day tournament.

The two Panthers showed well in both the singles and doubles competition. Blakely finished 2-1 in singles play, and eventually fell in a tiebreak (6-3, 3-6, (10-3)) to the University of Denver’s Maureen Slattery after reaching the quarterfinals. Frey dropped her initial match, but rallied to take the following three straight and win the consolation final handily over Sara Fioretti (6-1, 6-0). Blakely and Frye then joined forces for the women’s open doubles competition. As the No. 2-seeded tandem, they lost only six games in their first three matches before falling in the final, 8-4.

“It is great to see Audrey Ann and Callie competing during the summer and taking Pitt Tennis around the country,” head coach Alex Santos said. “We are very happy to see their commitment to their tennis and also the program as a whole during the offseason.”

Their work over the summer also provides an opportunity to usher Frey into Pitt Tennis’ ethos. “Audrey Ann has been doing a tremendous job of transmitting the beliefs and standards that we hold as a program to Callie. A lot of credit goes to Callie for absorbing the information and trusting her teammate,” said Santos.

Blakely paced the team in singles victories in 2013-14, finishing 14-11 overall for her freshman season. She also led the team with a combined doubles record of 19-10. Frey will be heading to Pitt on the heels of winning back-to-back WPIAL titles at Mt. Lebanon High School. She was a PIAA runner-up in 2012 and advanced to the quarterfinals in 2013.

With fall play only months away, Santos is optimistic for what the upcoming season holds. “In the doubles final they came up a little short, but the communication between both girls is awesome and we’re very confident that a lot of success lies ahead.”